Avera Re-verified as Level II Trauma Center

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) - Avera McKennan Hospital has again been verified as a Level II trauma center by a committee of the American College of Surgeons.

The hospital has held the designation since 1992, when it became the first verified Level II trauma center in the state of South Dakota.

Regional President and CEO David Kapaska says Avera is proud of the surgical, neurosurgical and emergency medicine teams that make the designation possible. Kapaska says the verification means that severely injured patients can receive immediate, life-saving care.

Verified trauma centers must meet the essential criteria that ensure trauma care capability and institutional performance.

Avera McKennan is one of three regional trauma hospitals in South Dakota.